The Summer of Klaine - Klaine Summer Challenge 2016
by It'sNotEasyBeingQueen
Summary: Here you will find my stories for the 2016 Klaine Summer Challenge - a different story each week based on the prompts posted on the challenge page on Tumblr. Happy Summer!
1. Park

Park

 _Written for the 2016 Klaine Summer Challenge on Tumblr. (I'm not on Tumblr, so I post here._ _Lucky you!)_ _This is for the first prompt, 'Park'._

Kurt loved New York City. It was all he ever hoped it would be. It was fast, and busy, and loud, and vibrant. The streets practically thrummed with the energy of millions of people hustling and moving wherever their individual, yet somehow intertwined and interdependent, lives took them. It was scary, and overwhelming, and absolutely wonderful.

Though he never thought he'd miss anything from Ohio other than his family and a few close friends, Kurt found himself craving one thing that couldn't be found in the proverbial concrete jungle of the city – green space. That was one precious commodity that was in short supply pretty much anywhere one looked. And while Kurt was nowhere near what you would call the "outdoorsy" type, and most of the time it didn't even cross his mind, every once in a while he would think nostalgically of the days when he could walk out his front door onto a green lawn and a wide, tree-lined street, where he could then take a leisurely stroll to a nearby park and sit in the sun or swing on the swing set like a little kid. Sure, there were strategically-placed trees here and there in Manhattan, but they were planted in spaces made in the pavement. It wasn't quite the same.

Today was one of those days when he felt the need for open skies and sunshine, not the kind that peeked out in between skyscrapers. So, he grabbed the lunch he'd packed that morning and high-tailed it out the front doors of Vogue, heading uptown the few blocks to Central Park. It was a gorgeous day outside – the heat of summer was just beginning to tease the city, but hadn't become oppressive just yet. He was glad he had opted for a short-sleeved button-down today as a light breeze whirled past him. Crossing Central Park South, he entered the park and walked along the winding pathway.

It always amazed Kurt how quickly one could leave the city behind here. Within a few minutes, the noise of the traffic was barely noticeable, and thanks to the shade of the trees, it was a bit cooler, too. It seemed that a lot of others had had the same idea of enjoying the park today. He passed joggers and tourists, dog-walkers and nannies with their charges, and more than a few folks in business attire eating their lunches and chatting away their precious hour of personal time. Kurt didn't mind the company – the park was vast enough that everyone could spread out and not be in each other's way as they often were on the sidewalks just a few blocks away.

He eventually came to a clearing and spotted a vacant bench overlooking a small open lawn. He quickly claimed the bench as his own, cheering internally at his luck in finding a seat so perfectly situated. The branches of a nearby tree reached out enough to offer filtered sunshine through its leaves – enough to allow Kurt to feel the warmth but not fear risking his fair complexion. He pulled his phone and earbuds from his pocket, clicked on his favorite music, and relaxed against the back of the bench as he ate his lunch.

He absentmindedly looked around as he ate, doing a little people-watching. A group of teenagers sat in a circle on the ground under one tree, talking a little but mostly texting (probably one another, he thought with a shake of his head). A woman pretend-chased her toddler as he laughed joyfully every time he "evaded" her capture. As Kurt watched these and other random scenes, his mind wandered, making up stories about who they were or what their lives were like outside of this moment in the park. It was a pleasant way to pass the time.

Having finished his lunch, he checked his watch and saw that he still had a few more minutes before he'd have to start walking back. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes, focusing on the warm breeze and the feel of the sun on his skin. This was the most relaxed he'd been in weeks, he thought, and just as he was about to open his eyes and rise from the bench, he thought he heard a yell nearby, but the sound was muffled by the music still playing through his earbuds. He pulled the earbuds from his ears and blinked his eyes open just in time to see an object hurtling towards his face. He unfortunately did not, however, have enough time to duck.

"Ow!" he exclaimed as the object, which he belatedly identified as a Frisbee, thunked into his nose. His hands instinctively flew to cover his nose and eyes, the latter of which began watering due to the sting of the impact. "Son of a…" he began, but was cut off by a voice right in front of him.

"Oh, my god, I am so sorry! Are you okay?" the voice asked. Kurt couldn't open his eyes, but he registered that the voice was male (and very smooth – or at least, he would have thought so if his mind wasn't occupied with the whole pain-in-nose-making-eyes-water situation).

He felt a tentative hand on his elbow and heard the man speak again. "Hey, are you hurt? Can you move your hands so I can see?"

The sting had started to subside already – he hadn't been hit that hard, just at a very odd spot. Taking a slow, deep breath through his nose, Kurt found his voice. "I think I'm okay," he started, sounding a little more shaky than he anticipated. "It just hit me right on the bridge of my nose, and, oh…" he trailed off as he slowly lowered his hands, blinking rapidly to clear out the tears from his eyes. He was surprised to find the owner of the voice crouched down in front of him, still holding his elbow with one hand and resting the other on Kurt's knee (he didn't know when that had happened). He couldn't see very clearly just yet, and began wiping at his eyes, when suddenly the hand that was on his knee moved and then a handkerchief appeared in front of him.

"Thank you," he said quietly, taking the item and using it to wipe his eyes once more. When he felt they'd stopped watering, or at least slowed down considerably, he removed the handkerchief and looked up again. He was able to see now, and he'd never been happier to do so in his life.

Crouched in front of him was a stunning man, about Kurt's age, with dark, curly hair and the most incredible golden-hazel eyes Kurt had ever seen. Those eyes were filled with concern at the moment, and were looking questioningly back at him. Kurt took a second to take in the rest of the man's appearance – he was nicely built, with strong arms and a broad chest visible underneath his striped polo shirt, which was paired with dark red skinny jeans and loafers without socks. Kurt's inner fashion critic approved.

He was drawn from his quick appraisal when the man spoke again. "I am so, so sorry. Does it hurt much? Do I need to take you to the hospital? God, I told Sam he couldn't throw that thing to save his life. Sam…" he looked over his shoulder, quickly scanning the area as if looking for said Sam, but instantly returned his attention to Kurt and continued speaking rapidly, "Great, he hits you with that thing and takes off. I'm really sorry, can I get you some ice or do you need…"

"Oh, my gosh, stop!" Kurt finally interrupted. The man opened his mouth as if to speak again, but Kurt held up a hand and he closed his mouth again. "Just…I'm okay, really," Kurt said, lightly touching the bridge of his nose again and wincing slightly. "Here," he said, handing the handkerchief back to the man. "Thank you, um," he paused, and the man took the hint.

"Blaine," he supplied, holding out his hand.

"Kurt," the other man replied, taking Blaine's hand and shaking it firmly for a second before pulling it slightly toward him. "Please, have a seat," he said, guiding Blaine to rise from the ground and sit beside him on the bench. Blaine looked at him and smiled, and Kurt felt his heart speed up slightly. There was a moment of awkward silence before Blaine spoke up again.

"I really am sorry, Kurt," he repeated.

"It's okay, really, Blaine," Kurt answered, liking the sound of his name coming from Blaine and the sound of Blaine's name falling from his own lips. "It was an accident. You don't have to keep apologizing."

"You're very gracious," Blaine replied, blushing slightly. "Can I at least make it up to you? I'll buy you a coffee, or a gelato maybe?" he asked hopefully.

Kurt contemplated it briefly as he looked into those mesmerizing hazel eyes, but his responsible side took over. "I really can't, I'm sorry. I have to get back to work." He saw a fleeting look on Blaine's face before he slid away from Kurt on the bench a couple of inches.

"Oh, oh, I'm sorry. Right. I didn't mean to…I, um."

Kurt chuckled internally. This guy really was too cute.

"Blaine," he said, taking a chance and reaching out to cover Blaine's hand which was resting on the seat of the bench. Blaine, who had looked away uncomfortably, snapped his head over to look at Kurt's hand and then up into his eyes. Kurt smiled warmly and continued, "I really do have to get back to work. Honest. It's not an excuse." Blaine smiled dazzlingly then, almost making Kurt change his mind about returning to the office.

"Maybe some time soon, then?" Blaine asked, still resting with his hand under Kurt's. "Can I call you?"

Kurt removed his hand then, not missing the momentary look of disappointment at the loss of contact. Kurt reached into his pocket and retrieved a business card. "Here," he said, rising as he handed the card to Blaine, who immediately stood with him. "I do have to run, but you can reach me here. Coffee would be great."

They stood and smiled at one another for a moment more, then broke the spell and made their awkward parting comments to one another.

"I'll call you," Blaine said, taking Kurt's hand. What surprised Kurt more than the action was the fact that he didn't seem to mind, even though he'd just met this guy five minutes ago.

Kurt laughed at the cliché. "You better," he answered saucily, earning a laugh from Blaine that made his heart flutter.

"And get some ice on that," Blaine added, releasing Kurt's hand and lightly tapping his finger on the tip of Kurt's nose, being sure to go nowhere near the injury. "It would be a sin for there to be bruise on a face like yours," he said with a glint in his eye before winking (he actually _winked_ ) and walking back across the lawn, leaving Kurt with a racing heart and his mouth hanging open as he admired the view.

He liked this one.

xoxoxo

Later that afternoon, as Kurt sat at his desk, typing and clicking with one hand while holding an ice pack to his nose with the other, he was startled by a quick rap on his door. Looking up, he saw the receptionist, who was clearly holding something behind her back and grinning knowingly.

"Delivery for you, Kurt," she said, stepping over to his desk and bringing a bouquet of flowers from behind her back with a flourish. She laid them on the desk and smiled as she walked out of the office.

Brimming with curiosity, Kurt put down the ice pack and picked up the flowers – a gorgeous bouquet of red and yellow roses. He took in the heavenly scent and then took the card to see who would possibly have sent them. The card read: _Sorry for ruining your afternoon in the park, but I've never been more grateful that my friend has lousy aim._

Kurt smiled broadly at the card and actually laughed out loud a little. Just then, his phone rang. Still looking at his flowers, he distractedly reached for the receiver and answered without looking, "Kurt Hummel."

"Well hello, Kurt Hummel," a smooth and somehow familiar voice replied. "Did you like the flowers?"

"Blaine?" Kurt said after a second, looking at the phone as if expecting to see his face there.

"Hi," Blaine answered quietly, almost sounding a little shy.

"Hi," Kurt said back, feeling a bit shy himself. "Thank you for the flowers," he finally said, recovering a bit. "They're lovely, but you didn't have to do that."

"Well, I wasn't sure what the appropriate gift was for maiming a stranger with a Frisbee, and coffee didn't seem like quite enough."

Kurt laughed into the receiver, feeling a bit like a teenager again, though he'd never gotten flowers then. "They're perfect," he answered quietly.

"I'm glad you like them. So, I know usually there's the whole 'wait 24 hours to call a guy after you get his number' thing, but I figured our meeting wasn't exactly conventional, so why get all caught up in the rules now?" Kurt could hear the smile in Blaine's voice as he spoke. "That said, how about that coffee tomorrow? I could meet you at our bench in the park?"

"Our bench?" Kurt asked teasingly. "We have _a bench_ now, do we, Blaine?"

He was surprised by the sincerity of Blaine's response. "I certainly hope so, Kurt."

Kurt's heart raced once again, beating in a way it hadn't for a long time. He sat back in his chair and thought that going to the park for lunch had been a good idea. A very, very good idea.

 _A/N: Hi!_ _Hope you enjoyed this fic._ _I got to combine two of my favorite things here:_ _A/U meeting stories and Central Park._ _I love NYC, and Central Park is just magical to me._ _And just to put it out there in the universe, if someone who looked like Darren Criss clocked me with a Frisbee, I wouldn't complain, either._ _Just saying._


	2. Ice Cream Parlor

Ice Cream Parlor

 _A/N: Hi, all!_ _Here's my offering for the second week's prompt of the Klaine Summer Challenge._ _I've set it in the middle of episode 2 x 12, Silly Love Songs._ _After the infamous Gap Attack, Kurt and Blaine don't go for coffee._ _Instead, Kurt takes Blaine somewhere else._ _I've incorporated some canon dialogue, but have tried to put my own spin on it, as well._

Kurt Hummel had had a rough few days.

First, Valentine's Day was approaching. He had never really liked the holiday, to be honest. Romantic that he was, it just seemed like a tacky, over-indulgent day for couples to flaunt their relationships. Perhaps he only felt that way because he'd never had a relationship himself, but he wasn't about to admit that.

This year was worse than usual because instead of not being in a relationship, he was the hopeless victim of unrequited love. The. Worst.

Speaking of which, that brought up the second reason this had been a rough week. For a brief time, he had thought he actually had a chance with Blaine. When Blaine had confessed to "liking" someone and wanting to serenade him for Valentine's Day, Kurt's heart nearly stopped. Could it be? It _could_ , he told himself.

"I'm in love," Blaine had declared in front of the Warblers, at which point Kurt almost fell off the couch. When the council tried to argue against Blaine's request to perform off-campus, Kurt had jumped up in Blaine's defense, saying anything he could think of to change their mind. No stuffy rules were going to get in the way of this moment for him.

Then it all came crashing down when Blaine revealed that the object of his affection was some assistant manager at The Gap.

Yeah.

He had then played the dutiful friend, learning his part and joining with the other Warblers as they serenaded said assistant manager (named Jeremiah, of all the impertinent things) with a slightly inappropriate song. _I should get a Tony for this performance_ , he thought to himself as he pep-talked Blaine and pushed him forward to start his song.

Now here he sat, out in the cold on a bench outside The Gap, next to a very insecure Blaine. Jeremiah hadn't looked too thrilled at being serenaded. He'd gaped at Blaine for a moment, then turned his attention to a voice in his earpiece before walking briskly into the back room. The Warblers had dispersed and headed back to campus, but Kurt had agreed to wait with Blaine to see if his plan had worked.

"Was it too much?" Blaine asked nervously. Kurt's hesitation and facial expression seemed to answer for him, as Blaine looked away and answered his own question with a muttered, "It was too much."

Then Jeremiah came out of the store, and thus began a supremely awkward conversation in which he chided Blaine for his performance, told him he'd been fired, and then made it very clear that there was nothing going on between them. He even punctuated the conversation with a condescending pat on Blaine's arm as he basically told him he was too young.

Ouch.

After Jeremiah walked away, Blaine stood there looking dejectedly at Kurt. Kurt couldn't stand seeing his friend (for despite any romantic notions he had, Blaine was still his friend) so sad. "Come on," Kurt said, rising from the bench and starting to walk along the storefronts. Blaine wasn't sure where Kurt was going, but took his place at Kurt's side and went along, eyes downcast.

As they approached a coffee shop, Blaine began to turn towards the door, only to feel a gentle hand on his elbow pulling him away. "Nope," Kurt said simply, continuing to walk.

A couple of doors down, he pulled open a glass door and held it for Blaine. They entered a charming, old-fashioned ice cream parlor, complete with a black-and-white tile floor, white tables and chairs, a genuine soda fountain, and workers in little paper hats.

"Ice cream?" Blaine asked. "It's freezing outside, Kurt."

"So?" Kurt asked.

"But isn't it a bit, I don't know, cliché to eat ice cream after being dumped?" Blaine followed up, starting to sound a little bitter.

"Not at all," Kurt responded as he began walking toward the counter. "Cliché is sitting home in your boxers eating a pint of Hagen Daz out of the container and listening to Celine Dion. This is just eating your feelings. Totally different," he said with a small smile before turning to the teenaged girl behind the counter. "I'll have a scoop of Rocky Road," he began, "and my wounded friend here will have your best sundae," he continued.

"Kurt, I…"

"Two scoops of vanilla, to start," Kurt continued ordering.

"I really don't think I could eat any…"

"Hot fudge _and_ caramel, yes. Let's see, what else…"

"Ugh, don't they have anything here that isn't covered in stupid little hearts?" Blaine interjected, looking around at the seasonal decorations that adorned the walls. "Gross."

Kurt ignored the outburst, instead turning to his friend and asking, "Are you allergic to peanuts?"

"What?" Blaine answered, the question catching him off-guard and drawing his attention from the decorations (as intended). "Um, no. I'm not allergic. I like nuts."

Kurt stared at Blaine then snorted a little at the double-entendre, causing Blaine to chuckle at his own unwittingly lewd statement, as well. "Shut up," he huffed out playfully, bumping Kurt's shoulder and showing the slightest hint of a smirk.

Kurt finished ordering, paid for both treats over Blaine's objection, and headed for a table in the corner where they could talk privately.

"I don't think I've ever made that big a fool of myself," Blaine complained between bites of his sundae, "which is really saying something, because I've performed at theme parks."

Kurt nodded sympathetically.

"I just…I can't believe I made it all up in my head," Blaine went on with a sigh after a moment. "Do you have any idea what that's like?"

Kurt snapped his head up and looked sharply at the boy across from him. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "Are you kidding me?" Seeing Blaine's confused expression, Kurt took a breath. He couldn't go back now. Speaking more calmly, he put down his ice cream spoon and looked Blaine in the eye. "Okay, can I ask you something, because we've always been completely honest with each other? You and I – we hang out, we sing flirty duets together, you know my coffee order…was I supposed to think that was nothing?"

Still looking confused, Blaine answered, "What do you mean?"

With an internal sigh, Kurt realized he'd have to just spit it out. "I thought the guy you wanted to ask out on Valentine's Day…was me."

Recognition dawned on Blaine's face. _Finally,_ Kurt thought.

"Wow, I really am clueless," Blaine stated almost to himself as he looked off to the side at nothing in particular. Then, directing his gaze back to Kurt, he said, "Look, I don't know what I'm doing. The truth is I've never been anyone's boyfriend."

"Me neither," Kurt responded quietly.

Blaine shifted in his chair, leaning in towards Kurt and reaching his hand across the table as if to take Kurt's, but then drawing back and just resting it a few inches away. "Let me be really clear about something," he said seriously. "I really, _really_ care about you, but as you and about 20 mortified shoppers saw, I'm not very good at romance." He paused, looking into Kurt's eyes with a mixture of emotions Kurt couldn't entirely identify. "I don't want to screw this up."

Kurt smiled softly. This was progress, but nothing was going to happen today – not with Blaine's heartbreak so fresh. Choosing to lighten the mood, he said, "So it's just like _When Harry Met Sally_ ," he said, adding a playful, "but I get to play Meg Ryan."

Blaine relaxed visibly and answered with a smile, "Deal." He thought for a moment before continuing, "Don't they get together in the end?"

Kurt smirked knowingly and picked up his spoon, returning to his cup of Rocky Road. "Just eat your sundae, Blaine."

Blaine laughed and complied. A few minutes later, he broke the comfortable silence. "Kurt?"

"Hmm?" Kurt responded, his mouth full of the last spoonful of ice cream.

Blaine had a mischievous glint in his eye as he said, "If you're Meg Ryan, would you do the…"

"Absolutely not," he cut Blaine off before he could complete his sentence.

"What?" Blaine cried with mock offense. "You don't know what I was going to say."

Kurt narrowed his eyes. "Oh, but I do. And the answer is no, I will not do the scene from the deli. End of discussion."

Blaine snorted a laugh, causing both boys to break into a fit of giggles.

"See?" Kurt said as Blaine polished off his sundae. "I told you a visit to the ice cream parlor would help."

Blaine smiled at Kurt warmly. He reached his hand across the table again, covering Kurt's without hesitation this time. "I don't think it was the ice cream or the parlor, Kurt."

Kurt returned the smile, feeling happy and hopeful. Maybe this hadn't been such a bad week, after all.

 _A/N: There you have it!_ _If you don't know the deli scene from_ When Harry Met Sally _, check it out online. It's a classic._


	3. Amusement Park

Amusement Park

 _A/N: Here's my entry for the Klaine Summer Challenge prompt "Carnival or Amusement Park."_ _I know this is a few days early, but I felt the need to spread some love._ _I'm still so heartbroken about the shootings in Orlando._ _It is hard to understand how such hatred exists, but I truly believe that love is stronger and will prevail._ _Peace, strength, and prayers to all those affected._

After a lot of planning, the day had finally arrived – the annual Warbler Retreat Weekend was upon them. Okay, so technically it was a day trip to Cedar Point, the best amusement park in the Midwest, but when selling the idea to the Dalton administration, the word "retreat" seemed much more palatable.

The members of the Warblers had been buzzing about the upcoming trip all week, plotting out strategies for hitting all of the best rides, making bets on who would chicken out, and so forth and so on. Wes and David were busy organizing travel plans, making sure everyone had parental consent forms – basically running the show, as usual. It promised to be a fantastic outing and everyone was looking forward to it.

Well, almost everyone.

Kurt had been unusually quiet about the trip, Blaine had noticed. When the topic of how to spend their "retreat" had been opened for discussion, Kurt had quietly suggested one or two alternatives, but when someone mentioned the amusement park and the rest of the group enthusiastically supported the notion, he fell silent and sank back a little into the couch where he was sitting, almost as if trying not to be seen.

Blaine saw.

As the day of the trip drew nearer, Kurt remained quiet most of the time, though if asked directly, he would smile and say he couldn't wait to go. Blaine knew that smile and that tone of voice, and knew that they weren't genuine. He tried to ask Kurt about it once or twice, but Kurt always replied that everything was fine and he was looking forward to going. Blaine knew his boyfriend well enough to (a) know that wasn't true and (b) not press the matter further.

The day of the trip dawned warm and sunny – perfect weather for the two-hour drive from Westerville to Sandusky to enjoy the rides and fun of Cedar Point. Blaine stayed near to Kurt, keeping a close eye on the boy. Kurt seemed to be happy to be with the group, joining in on the inevitable sing-along and laughing with Jeff and Nick over road trip games.

Soon enough, they pulled through the main gates and piled off the bus with the enthusiasm of a couple of dozen crazy teenage boys. They made their way through the entrance and started to splinter into groups based on their varying plans.

Jeff and Nick linked arms with Kurt and Blaine, respectively, and started dragging them towards the biggest, fastest coaster in the park. "Come on, boys!" Nick yelled, even though they were all standing close together. "It is time we turn you into _men_!" he bellowed, following it with a dramatic, evil laugh.

Blaine chuckled at his antics and glanced over at Kurt to find the already fair-skinned boy turning even paler. _If he gets any whiter,_ Blaine thought, _he's going to be transparent_. Clearly, Kurt was afraid of riding the roller coasters. That explained his reticence over the past week. Why he wouldn't just come out and say it, Blaine didn't know, but if he had to guess, he'd say it was just a gut reaction from a life of hiding his fears and putting on a brave face to fit in. Regardless of the reason, he wasn't about to let Kurt subject himself to a day of being terrified and forcing himself to do things that were uncomfortable, especially not to appease Blaine.

Thinking quickly, Blaine stopped in his tracks and took a hold of Kurt's free arm to release him from Jeff's grasp. "Actually," he said, pulling Kurt close to him, "Kurt and I had something else planned first. You two go ahead – we'll catch up with you later." As the other two boys began to protest, Blaine slipped his hand into Kurt's and began walking in the opposite direction of the giant coaster.

"Um, Blaine?" Kurt asked hesitantly.

"Yes, Kurt," Blaine answered sweetly, squeezing Kurt's hand. They didn't often hold hands in public, but Blaine felt that Kurt needed the physical contact, general public be damned.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Blaine answered honestly.

Kurt looked over at his boyfriend questioningly. He hesitated in his steps, but Blaine kept moving forward, pulling Kurt along with him.

"I just, um," he faltered slightly, hating to lie, but wanting to spare Kurt's feelings and pride, "I really didn't want to ride that roller coaster, that's all." He kept looking ahead as they strolled past a few rides and other attractions at the park.

"Why?" Kurt asked, sounding really confused now and pulling his hand from Blaine's. "You've been talking about this trip all week and saying how much you wanted to go on every ride as many times as possible."

Blaine finally stopped and turned to face Kurt. He looked him in the eye and said, "I'm really not all that into them. I was just going along with the group, you know?" He hoped Kurt was buying this. "Would you mind terribly if we didn't go on any coasters today? Maybe we could just do some of the other stuff instead. We could check out a couple of the shows – I might be able to pick up some pointers for my performance at King's Island's Christmas Spectacular next year," he added with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Kurt eyed him warily for a moment, and Blaine bit his lower lip subconsciously. He saw a glint in Kurt's eye and thought he caught him holding back a smirk. _Crap, he's figured it out_ , Blaine thought. Suddenly, Kurt smiled warmly and reconnected their hands. "Of course," he said softly. "We can do whatever you want to do today." He looked around to make sure no one was really paying attention, then leaned over and kissed Blaine sweetly on the cheek.

They continued the day wandering around the park, going on fun little rides like the bumper cars and the carousel, and did, in fact, check out a couple of the shows. They spent some time playing some carnival games where Blaine won a stuffed dog for Kurt and Kurt won a stuffed bear wearing a bowtie for Blaine. Late in the afternoon, they walked over to the beach area and took a stroll in the sand, enjoying the view of the lake stretching out before them. Somehow, they managed to avoid running into any of the other Warblers until receiving a text message from Wes informing them that everyone should return to the bus in half an hour to begin the trip home.

A short while later the bus was back on the road returning to Dalton. Most of the boys were crowded towards the front and center sections, trading stories about their adventures on the rides, including a couple of tales that reinforced that one should not go on a roller coaster immediately after eating.

Blaine had warded off the various inquiries from their fellow Warblers about how they'd spent their day, answering before Kurt could that they'd done everything they had wanted to do and marveling at the fact that they must have _just missed_ this friend or that at various points in the park. Kurt just nodded and chuckled to himself. Working their way down the aisle past all the other boys, they sat in the last row of the bus where Kurt immediately snuggled into Blaine's side.

After riding in contented silence for a while, Blaine thought Kurt must have fallen asleep. He was surprised, then, when he felt Kurt shift his head slightly on Blaine's shoulder and reach an arm around his middle to pull him a little closer. "Thank you," Kurt murmured softly.

"For what?" he answered in a similarly quiet tone, tilting his head to catch Kurt's eye.

Kurt tilted his head up and looked at him pointedly. "I know what you did for me today, Blaine" he said, looking down again.

Blaine captured his hand and rubbed his thumb across the back slowly. Before Blaine could respond, Kurt continued, "You didn't have to, you know. I would have been all right."

"Kurt," Blaine began, waiting for his boyfriend to look up at him again. When he did, he resumed, "I could tell you didn't want to go on the rides, and that's okay. You never have to do something you don't want to do. I just wish you would have told me, that's all."

Kurt colored slightly in embarrassment. "I knew how much you wanted to go, and I didn't want to ruin it for you," he answered. "I know it's silly to be afraid of roller coasters, and I wanted you to have fun, so I thought I could just power through and do it."

Blaine shifted so he was facing Kurt more fully. He lifted Kurt's chin gently and held it there. "It's not silly, Kurt. Lots of people don't like them. That's okay. But all I needed to make this day perfect was to spend it with you, Kurt. That's all I ever need."

Kurt bit his lower lip as his eyes grew bright with unshed tears. Before they could fall, however, he leaned in and kissed Blaine, delicately at first, but then more deeply. The two seemed to forget where they were until they were interrupted by a sharp whistle and a couple of hollers of, "Get a room!" and "Go get him, Kurt!" (They were pretty sure that last one was from Jeff.)

Breaking apart, Kurt buried his face in Blaine's shoulder. Blaine, less easily embarrassed than his boyfriend, simply chuckled and hugged Kurt tightly. So, he had missed going on some rides today – so what? He knew that being with Kurt was a thrill no roller coaster could ever match.

 _A/N: In case you didn't know, Cedar Point is an actual amusement park on the shore of Lake Erie in Sandusky, Ohio. It is known by roller coaster fans as having some of the best coasters in the world._


	4. Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

 _A/N: Here's my offering for the Klaine Summer Challenge prompt "Outdoor Sporting Event."_ _I do love me some alternate first meeting stories –_

Rachel Berry was a tactical mastermind. Well, in her own opinion she was, anyway.

She had carefully orchestrated an outing for the New Directions to Cleveland one fine summer afternoon. The group had headed out first thing in the morning and made their way to legendary Playhouse Square – the largest theater complex in the country outside of New York City. This was followed by a trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and, finally, an outing at the ballpark to catch a Cleveland Indians game.

The biggest surprise was that Rachel seemed to be most excited about the baseball game, going so far as to rush everyone out of the Rock Hall to ensure that they got to their seats early. The mystery was soon solved, however, when the group heard the announcer say, "Ladies and gentlemen, please rise and join in the singing of our national anthem. Today, the anthem will be performed by the award-winning Warblers from Dalton Academy in Westerville, Ohio."

Everyone applauded. Well, almost everyone. The members of the New Directions were too busy staring at Rachel in shock, while she tried to look nonchalant. Before anyone could say anything to her, the Warblers began to sing the national anthem, a cappella of course. They were all singing together in harmony at first, but then one singer stepped forward to take the lead as the others sang background.

Kurt looked up at the giant video screen on the scoreboard which was now showing a close-up of the performers. His jaw dropped and he suddenly forgot the lyrics to the song. The lead singer was absolutely gorgeous – not terribly tall, but handsome in an old-school movie star kind of way. Kurt couldn't quite make out his eye color on the screen, but he didn't miss the sparkle in those eyes. He didn't miss much of anything, in fact, as he studied the features of the singer. He was jarred from his thoughts when a few fireworks were set off at the completion of the song and everyone cheered and applauded once more.

Shaking off his momentary distraction, he was now free to return his attention to the matter at hand. He tapped Rachel on the shoulder and asked, "Rachel, did you, or did you not, arrange this outing so that we could spy on the Warblers?" He stared at her pointedly, effectively stopping any denial on her part.

Rachel sighed. "Look. It isn't spying. They performed at a public event. Anyone could see them for the price of a ticket. It isn't like I went to their school and pretended to be a student."

"Well that would be difficult, since it's an all-boys' school," Kurt said drily.

"I don't know," Santana interjected. "I think Man Hands could carry it off."

"Kurt," Rachel continued, very deliberately ignoring Santana's insult, "the Warblers are the talk of the show choir blogs. They are going to be the ones to beat this upcoming year. I don't know about you, but I don't want to lose again this year. I want to go to Nationals and win, and we have to know everything about our competition to do that."

Kurt just shook his head. "You're insane," he muttered. Needing a little space from Rachel, he told her he was going to go get some food and made his way towards the aisle. He purposefully ignored Finn and Puck, who were shouting orders at him for pretty much every type of snack sold at the ballpark.

xoxoxo

Blaine shrugged off his Dalton blazer and loosened his tie – that was as far as Wes would allow them to go in removing their uniforms at the ballpark. The boys were walking through the concourse towards the seats they had been offered because they were chosen to sing the national anthem. Blaine, Jeff, and Nick had tried to reason with Wes that they should be allowed to change out of their uniforms for the game, but he had refused, stating that so long as they were out as a group, they were representing Dalton Academy and the Warblers, and should be attired accordingly. Despite numerous grumblings (and one utterance of "dictator" that was half-heartedly covered by a cough from Sebastian), they decided not to argue and just go along with it.

The group had split up to get food, planning to meet back up at their seats. Blaine found himself alone getting a burger, fries, and large soda. He was precariously balancing his meal, along with the blazer draped over his forearm, as he tried to get some extra napkins and condiments from a nearby stand. He noticed a movement nearby and reflexively looked up. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of the beautiful boy standing right next to him. Blaine noted that the boy, who appeared to be about his age, was slightly taller than himself, with perfectly-styled chestnut hair, flawless fair skin, and clothes that appeared to have been made to hug his long, lean body.

He stared for only a few seconds, but apparently lingered long enough to irritate another patron behind him. The woman cleared her throat in annoyance, startling Blaine. He tried to move out of the way, but the sudden movement caused his blazer to slip from his arm. He promptly stumbled over it, and before he could stop himself, he spilled a bit of his soda onto the one person he really, really didn't want to spill anything upon.

"What the…" Kurt exclaimed, feeling the cold liquid splash on his arm. He was cut off by a voice behind him saying, "Oh, god, I am so sorry!" Kurt turned and was about to give the owner of the voice a piece of his mind, but he stopped short when he saw the face that went with the voice.

It was _him_ \- the gorgeous lead singer of the Warblers.

Blaine had somehow regained his balance before completely embarrassing himself by literally falling at Kurt's feet. He quickly set his food down on the concession stand and started grabbing napkins, frantically shoving them towards his spill victim.

"I'm so, so sorry. Oh, god, I'm so clumsy. I didn't ruin your shirt, did I? I can pay for the dry cleaning. Or I can buy you a new one. I'm so sorry. Geez, I…" he rambled on incoherently, apparently unable to stop himself.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, calm down," Kurt interrupted. Somehow he found it adorable that this incredibly handsome guy could get so flustered. And apparently, cute and flustered was enough for Kurt to forget to be upset about the fact that his arm was now sticky and wet with soda, along with a little bit of his shirt and jeans.

He took the napkins offered to him and dried himself off as best he could. "You sang beautifully," he blurted out without thinking. He blushed a little in embarrassment and looked up to see the other boy smiling widely.

"You thought so? Thanks! My name is Blaine," he said, holding out his hand. Kurt looked down and then back up with an eyebrow raised. Blaine looked down and realized he still had napkins in his hand. "Oh, sorry," he laughed, setting aside the napkins and offering his hand again. "Blaine Anderson."

"Kurt Hummel," Kurt managed to say, taking Blaine's hand and trying really hard to suppress the shiver of happiness that ran through him.

Blaine held onto Kurt's hand for a moment, trying to think of something perfect to say next, when he caught sight of Nick, Jeff, and Wes waving to him.

"Well," Blaine said, releasing Kurt's hand, "I should go meet up with my friends, I guess." He picked up his jacket and food, finally finding the right way to carry everything, and turned back to Kurt with another warm smile. "It was really nice to meet you, Kurt. I'm sorry again for spilling on you."

"That's okay," Kurt answered, sounding disappointed, Blaine thought, which made him smile a little more. "It was nice to meet you too," he added as Blaine walked past him. He turned and saw Blaine meet up with three other boys in Dalton blazers and then head down the concourse. "Hazel," he whispered out loud to himself. "They're hazel…almost gold…"

xoxoxo

Kurt returned to his seat and settled in to eat, reasonably satisfied with the salad he was surprised to find at the concession stand. He wasn't paying too much attention to the crowd around him other than to notice that a group was coming in to take the seats in the row directly behind him, which had been empty until now. He suddenly heard, "Hey, Blaine, hold this for me," before he felt some type of garment hit him in the head and popcorn began spilling down onto his lap from above.

"Oh, my god, I am so sorry," a familiar voice began.

Kurt twisted in his seat to look up and behind him and saw Blaine's eyes go comically wide. "Oh, no. No, no, no, I didn't. Not again," he said, sounding truly horrified.

The other members of the New Directions prepared themselves for Kurt to verbally smack this guy down. After all, nobody ruined one of Kurt Hummel's outfits. Nobody. They were in shock when the only sound they heard from Kurt was laughter.

Blaine visibly relaxed at Kurt's reaction, laughing himself as he readjusted his grip on his blazer, the sleeve of which was the offending article that had hit Kurt in the head. The boys exchanged smiles before another Warbler broke the spell by urging Blaine to move down to his seat as he was holding everyone up. He ended up sitting a few seats over from Kurt, just far enough that they couldn't talk easily.

Despite Kurt's lighthearted reaction, Blaine still felt bad and wanted to offer, once again, to make reparations. He took a pen from his pocket and wrote on a napkin, " _I'm so sorry for spilling on you, again. Can I please pay for your dry cleaning?"_ He then reached over Wes to Sebastian, who could reach Kurt from his seat, and motioned for him to pass the napkin down. Sebastian rolled his eyes, but complied. He wasn't much of a gentleman about it, just reaching forward and shoving the napkin in front of Kurt's face. When Kurt turned back to glare at him questioningly, Sebastian just jerked his head toward Blaine and returned his attention to the game.

Kurt smiled at the note. He took out a pen of his own and wrote back, " _It's really not necessary. Nothing is ruined._ _It's very sweet of you to offer, however._ " He turned around and got Sebastian's attention. They exchanged stares for a moment as Kurt held the napkin out for him to take. Sebastian finally took it from him with a look of total annoyance and handed it over to Blaine.

Blaine read the note and then turned the napkin over to write, " _At least let me buy you a new salad, then. I'm sure you weren't expecting popcorn as part of your meal._ " He held the napkin back out toward Sebastian. "You're kidding me, right?" the other boy asked first, but Blaine just waved the napkin at him insistently. Sebastian snatched the item from him and, once again, shoved it back towards Kurt, dropping it instead of waiting for him to take it.

Kurt wrote his own response and turned to hand it back to Sebastian, but before he could even hold out his hand, Sebastian cut him off. "No, absolutely not. This is ridiculous," he said angrily. He turned to Wes and said, "Montgomery. You and Anderson. Switch, now."

Wes, who had only put up with the note-passing because it annoyed Sebastian, smirked and stood up, shuffling with Blaine to switch seats. As soon as Blaine sat down, Sebastian put an arm around his shoulder and pulled him forward to lean towards Kurt.

"Now, Princess," Sebastian began, "here's the deal. Apparently, Anderson here likes you. He's been an absolute klutz around you – yes, I saw the whole tripping over your blazer and spilling your soda thing," he said to Blaine before turning back to Kurt, "and at this rate, someone's going to end up in the hospital before the seventh inning stretch. Besides that, while this note-passing routine is adorable for two seven-year-old girls, I've kind of had it and I'd like to watch this game if you don't mind. So," he continued, ignoring the looks of horror and shock on Blaine's and Kurt's faces, respectively, "you like my boy here?" he asked, as if he was selling a piece of merchandise on the street.

"Wha…what?" Kurt stammered out.

"Great, I'll take that as a yes," Sebastian hurried on, talking over Blaine as he tried to object. "So, you two trade numbers, text each other quietly for the rest of the game, and make plans to meet up in the forest where birds and woodland creatures can sing to you while you give each other heart eyes, and leave the rest of us in peace, okay?"

The two boys were so taken aback and embarrassed that they silently exchanged numbers as Sebastian directed. Blaine was hoping that the floor would open up and swallow him whole, though he realized that would deprive him of the opportunity of killing Sebastian later.

"Perfect," Sebastian said mockingly. "Now I can watch Martinez strike this guy out with a fastball."

"Wrong," Kurt blurted out.

"What?"

Kurt took a breath and rolled his eyes, turning his attention away from Blaine and toward Sebastian, losing his smile in the process. "Martinez has been pitching high heat all day. The batter will be looking for that. He needs to pitch low and away to get him to chase it and strike out."

Sebastian stared at Kurt. Everyone stared at Kurt, in fact, as they heard the play-by-play announcer say, "…and it's low and away for strike three."

"Kurt?" Finn asked.

"What?" Kurt shrugged. "Dad likes to watch baseball. Sure, I read _Vogue_ while he does, but that doesn't mean I don't pay attention."

Sebastian smirked begrudgingly and elbowed Blaine in the ribs. "Looks like your Princess there is full of surprises," he said. Blaine nodded in amazement and then felt his phone buzz in his hand notifying him of an incoming text. He grinned and blushed at the message, which apparently was a response to Sebastian's comment.

 _Kurt: You have no idea. ;-)_

Both boys decided that coming to the ballgame had been a very, very good idea.

 _A/N: I like baseball, but really don't know if I got the terminology right, so sorry if I'm wrong!_ _Also, I know there is no Indians pitcher named "Martinez" right now – I did that on purpose._ _I would love any comments or reviews, as always._ _Let me know you're out there!_ _The next prompt for the series is "Fireworks"._ _I'm open to ideas you might have._


	5. Fireworks

Fireworks

 _A/N: Written for the Klaine 2016 Summer Challenge Prompt of the same name._ _Happy Fourth, y'all._ _(For those of you outside of the USA, the Fourth of July is our Independence Day, and is traditionally celebrated with fireworks.)_

"Kurd, I'm find. I don't have a code," Blaine insisted, immediately sneezing three times in a row after the last word.

Kurt looked at him unimpressed. "Okay, so you just called me 'Kurd' which I think proves that you _do_ have a 'code' and are not, in fact, 'find'," he replied with less sarcasm than usual in light of his husband's condition.

It was the Fourth of July, a holiday that Blaine had claimed as his favorite. (Kurt had reminded him of that long-ago conversation in which Blaine had declared Valentine's Day to be his favorite holiday. Blaine then clarified that the Fourth was his favorite holiday on which he had _not_ publicly humiliated himself at a Gap store.) They had plans to have a picnic in the park then make their way to a spot where they could see the huge fireworks show on the Hudson River in their beloved home of New York City. However, Blaine had started sneezing the night before out of nowhere. When Kurt asked him about it, Blaine hurriedly said, "Allergies," and then shrugged when Kurt pointed out that Blaine didn't have allergies.

When Blaine woke up at four a.m. sneezing, coughing, and blowing his nose non-stop, Kurt's suspicions had been confirmed. However, Blaine was apparently suffering not only from a miserable summer cold, but also a case of denial. It was the middle of the afternoon, and Kurt, who thought Blaine was laying down, walked into the bedroom to find him dressing to go on their planned outing.

After Blaine had stopped sneezing, he plopped into the nearest chair and let out a depressed sigh. Kurt walked over and sat on the arm of the chair, rubbing Blaine's back soothingly. "I'm sorry," Blaine apologized.

"For what?" Kurt asked.

"Getting sick and ruining everything," Blaine replied, turning away from Kurt to sneeze once more.

"It's not your fault, honey," Kurt consoled him. "You didn't get sick on purpose. It happens."

"I know," Blaine continued, sounding sad and a little childlike, "but I really wanted to spend today with you at the picnic and then watch the fireworks. It's just not the Fourth of July without fireworks, you know?"

Kurt felt so badly for Blaine. He hated to see him disappointed. An idea started to form in his mind, but he needed a little time. "Look," he said, giving him a side hug and a kiss on top of his head, "why don't you go take a nice warm shower, change into some comfy clothes, and take a nap?"

Blaine groaned in protest, but Kurt shushed him and pulled him upright, gently pushing him by the shoulders in the direction of the bathroom. Once Blaine was inside and the water was running, Kurt headed to the kitchen to put his plan into action.

xoxoxo

A couple of hours later, Blaine emerged from the bedroom wrapped in a blanket after his much-needed nap. He blinked a few times to focus as he took in the sight before him.

The furniture had been shifted around in the living room to create an open area in the center of the floor. A large blanket had been spread out and the couch cushions had been set out on the floor to create comfortable seating. Twinkle lights had been strung around the apartment, almost giving the illusion of stars.

"Hey, you're up," Kurt's voice softly called as he crossed the room from the kitchen.

"Kurt? What's all this?" Blaine said sleepily.

"Well," Kurt smiled gently, wrapping an arm around Blaine's shoulder and kissing him on the temple before guiding him into the room, "I figured if we couldn't take you to the picnic and the fireworks, we'd bring the picnic and the fireworks to you." He led Blaine to one of the cushions on the floor and got him situated.

"Aww, Kurt…" Blaine cooed, touched by his husband's thoughtfulness.

"Now, you just sit here and I'll get our picnic dinner all set up," Kurt replied, bustling off to the kitchen. He appeared a few minutes later with a tray and put it down in front of Blaine. Blaine looked down to find a bowl of chicken noodle soup, oyster crackers, tea, and Jell-O. He looked up at Kurt and smirked.

"Just your usual summer picnic menu, eh?" he laughed.

"When you have a 'code,' yes." Kurt winked. He went back to the kitchen, retrieved his own tray, and returned to the living room to take his place next to his husband on the floor of the apartment. He had the same meal on his tray as Blaine – when Blaine raised his eyebrows in surprise, Kurt just shrugged and said, "If it's good enough for you…"

They enjoyed their picnic as best they could, with Blaine occasionally having to stop and sneeze and Kurt making sure his blanket didn't slip from his shoulders. Once they were done eating, Kurt cleared the trays away and brought his cushion next to Blaine's, facing the television. He opened his arms and looked invitingly at his husband.

"Kurt, I'll get you sick," Blaine warned.

"If you sneezing on me in your sleep last night doesn't get me sick, me cuddling with you now won't do it," he answered. Blaine blushed in embarrassment as he muttered an apology, then scooted over to tuck his head into Kurt's shoulder and sigh into his embrace.

"And now, I believe my man requested fireworks," Kurt chuckled, reaching for the remote control and clicking on the television. They were just in time for the broadcast of the New York City fireworks display – the very one they had intended on going to see. "I know it's not the same as seeing them in person, but…"

Blaine cut him off by placing a hand on Kurt's chest. "It's perfect," he whispered, leaning up and kissing Kurt on the cheek. Despite Kurt's nonchalance, he wasn't going to risk infecting him by kissing him on the lips.

They stayed close together on the floor, propped up by cushions up against the couch, and watched the beautiful fireworks display which was set to music. Kurt laughed when Blaine gave a small cheer as Katy Perry's song "Firework" was played. They oohed and aahed over the colors and pointed out their favorite parts as the program went along. They even applauded at the end, just as they would have done had they been there.

Once the program was done, Kurt clicked off the television and the two cuddled a little longer, the room lit only by the twinkle lights above them. He felt Blaine lean a little more heavily upon him, and looked down to find his eyes had fluttered closed. "Come on, you," he said quietly, rubbing Blaine's shoulder and kissing the top of his head. "We aren't sleeping here tonight."

He was met with a tired groan from Blaine, but he eventually coaxed him to stand up and he helped him to the bedroom. He propped up Blaine's pillows to make it a little easier for him to breathe, then set him up with a fresh box of tissues and some water in case he got thirsty in the night. He did a quick version of his nightly routine and settled in next to his husband for the night. It wasn't that late, but he knew Blaine needed his rest and he didn't want to disturb him by coming to bed later.

Just as he turned off the light and closed his eyes, he heard Blaine speak quietly.

"Kurd?"

Kurt stifled a laugh – clearly, Blaine was stuffed up again. "Yes, honey?" he answered.

"Thank you for taking care of me and for my fireworks," he said, his voice heavy with sleep. Kurt reached over and took his hand, squeezing it gently.

"You're welcome. I'm sorry they were only on the TV."

"Nope," Blaine countered, turning and snuggling into the pillow. "Best fireworks ever 'cause I was with you," he sighed. Before Kurt could respond, he heard Blaine's breathing become shallow as he fell asleep.

Kurt reached over in the darkened room and brushed a curl away from Blaine's forehead, checking his temperature as he did so and humming in satisfaction when he didn't seem to have a fever. In spite of himself, he quietly sang, "Baby you're a firework," before kissing Blaine on the forehead and then resting on his own pillow for the night.


	6. Pool

Pool

 _A/N: Written for the Klaine Summer Challenge prompt "Pool."_ _Set shortly after Kurt and Blaine start dating, but Kurt remained at Dalton instead of going back to McKinley._

It was quiet in Kurt's dorm room as he and Blaine studied for finals. Kurt was at the desk trying to focus on Calculus while Blaine was sprawled out on his stomach on the bed with his American History text and notes spread out in front of him. Suddenly, both of their phones buzzed to indicate a new text message.

"Leave it," Kurt said sharply without raising his eyes from his book.

"But Kurrrrrt," Blaine said, whining purposefully for effect, "it's been _two whole hours_ since we looked at our phones! That text could be vital! The world could have ended and we wouldn't know it!"

"That, or Jeff and Nick are arguing over who should be kicked off of Top Model and they want us to mediate, which we are not going to do, by the way," Kurt retorted. "We agreed not to look for another hour at least so we could study, Blaine. Now focus."

"Spoilsport," Blaine muttered, kissing Kurt quickly on the cheek and startling the daylights out of him since his boyfriend hadn't heard him get up from the bed and pad across the room in his stocking feet. He laughed lightly when Kurt jumped in his chair, then placed his hand on his shoulder and kissed him on the cheek again a bit more slowly. "You need a break. So do I. I'm checking my message," he said, snatching his phone from the desk where Kurt had been keeping it captive.

"Fine," Kurt breathed out with an exaggerated sigh, stretching briefly with his arms over his head and then picking up his own phone. He frowned at the message for a second but then schooled his features into a more neutral expression.

"Cool!" Blaine exclaimed. "A pool party at Wes' house this weekend to celebrate the end of the year – oh, Kurt, you're going to love this! Wes throws the best pool parties. His parents have an amazing house and this awesome pool and…"

Kurt tuned out as Blaine excitedly rambled on about the wonders of the Montgomerys' house and pool. His thoughts were focused on how to best extricate himself from this invite. He couldn't go. He just couldn't.

"…and then aliens landed and we all ate bacon-flavored ice cream," Blaine finished.

"Uh huh, that sounds great," Kurt answered mechanically.

Blaine sighed and sat on the edge of Kurt's desk. He reached over and closed Kurt's textbook with a thud. The sound seemed to rouse Kurt from his thoughts, as he finally looked up and noticed that Blaine had stopped talking.

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked.

"Funny, I was about to ask you the same question," Blaine replied, his voice laced with concern.

"What do you mean?" Kurt tried, unsuccessfully, to sound nonchalant, but ended up sounding tense.

"Kurt, you zoned out on me." When Kurt tried to argue, Blaine recounted his statement about aliens and ice cream. "Now, you want to tell me what it is about Wes' invitation that made you upset? Do you not want to go or something?"

The younger boy's answer was so quiet, Blaine almost didn't hear it when he cast his eyes downward and said simply, "I can't." Blaine lifted Kurt's chin with the light touch of two fingers and asked, "You can't go to the party? Why not?"

"Not the party," Kurt muttered, taking a shaky breath. "The pool."

"You can't go to the pool?" Blaine repeated, trying to understand. "Is it that you can't swim?"

Kurt shook his head. "No, I can swim…well, kind of. I was never a great swimmer, but I did learn as a kid. It's just…" he trailed off for a moment, but Blaine gave him time to collect his thoughts and continue. "When I was ten, I was at the community pool with my dad. I was walking along the deck when one of the guys from my class shoved me into the water unexpectedly. He'd been giving me a hard time all afternoon, and apparently thought it was funny. I panicked and floundered in the water. The lifeguard and my dad were there almost immediately, but it was long enough that I sucked in a lot of water and it freaked me out. I haven't been in a pool since."

"Oh, Kurt," Blaine said softly, pulling his boyfriend to his feet and hugging him. "I'm sorry that happened to you." He pulled away and looked at him speculatively. "Would you like to try? I could help you," he offered.

Kurt shook his head vigorously. "No!" he exclaimed, then lowered his voice back to normal, "No, Blaine. I just can't."

Blaine tried again, looping his arms around Kurt's back and pulling him in a little closer. "Are you sure? We could take it really slow. It's been six years, Kurt. Maybe you could try?" He punctuated his request with his signature puppy dog eyes.

Kurt looked at his boyfriend for a long minute, seemingly at war with himself. Finally, he relented. "I guess I could try, I suppose," he said, not sounding sure at all. "But where would we even…"

"Hush," Blaine said, a warm smile on his face. "I'll take care of everything," he added, kissing Kurt on the nose.

xoxoxo

The next morning was Saturday. Kurt was up early to continue studying for finals when he heard a sharp knock at his door. Opening it, he was pleasantly surprised to find Blaine standing there. The pleasant part faded when he noticed Blaine was carrying a small gym bag.

"Hi, gorgeous," Blaine greeted him with a quick kiss as he strode past Kurt and into the room. "Grab your stuff, we're going swimming," he said cheerily.

Kurt paled visibly. "What? Now?" he cried.

"Yep, no time like the present," Blaine continued in his upbeat manner. "Come on," he said, a little more softly, "it'll be okay. I won't let anything happen to you."

Kurt took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Upon opening them, he found Blaine still standing there, looking at him with affection. With the air of one marching to his doom, Kurt slowly gathered the things he would need, put them in his gym bag, and made his way to the door. He opened it up and gestured for Blaine to lead the way. As Blaine passed him, he stopped and kissed him on the cheek. "That's my boy," he whispered, causing Kurt to blush.

They changed quickly, Kurt insisting on being on the opposite side of the locker room and meeting out by the pool. Taking a few deep breaths to calm his growing anxiety, Kurt strode across the locker room and pushed the door open to the pool area.

The first thing that struck him was that the room was – empty. No one was there, except for Blaine. "Um, Blaine?" Kurt asked, looking confused as his boyfriend (who was unbelievably hot in his swim trunks, Kurt noted) crossed over to him. "Where is everyone else?"

"What do you mean?" Blaine answered, stopping in front of him.

"This is the Dalton school pool, Blaine. There are always classes in here or the swim team or something going on. This place is never empty."

"Well," Blaine smirked, "Mr. Jacobs the swim team coach kind of likes me, and when I talked to him about using the pool, he told me this time slot would be free. They changed the practice schedule for finals week. No one is going to bother us."

"B-but what if something happens? What if I start to drown? There's no lifeguard in here," Kurt said, starting to sound panicky.

"I'm trained, Kurt," Blaine answered calmly, keeping his voice purposefully quiet. When Kurt looked at him incredulously, he continued, "I'm too young to be certified, but last year one of the guys from the Warblers wanted to take the course and didn't want to go alone. They had a free slot, so I was allowed to take the classes, sort of like auditing a college course. I even took the written exam," he leaned in with a smirk and added, "and I aced it."

"Nerd," Kurt muttered and Blaine laughed.

"What if _you_ need help," Kurt asked quickly, clearly trying everything to get out of this.

"Kurt," Blaine took another step closer and placed his hand on Kurt's arm. "Relax. If, somehow, something happens to me, you just go out that door," he pointed across the room to a doorway, "and into the gym across the hall. The fencing team is in there with Mr. Wilson, who _can_ swim. I checked."

Kurt stared at Blaine for a moment. _Damn_ , he thought. Kurt was officially out of excuses. Before he could speak again, Blaine was smiling at him triumphantly and talking again.

"Okay," he said brightly. "Now, off with this," he tugged at the sleeve of Kurt's t-shirt, "and let's see about getting you in the water, huh?" Blaine turned and started walking towards the pool, purposefully giving Kurt time to remove his shirt without Blaine watching, knowing Kurt would be self-conscious.

Kurt fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. Blaine had never seen Kurt without a shirt – very few people had, in fact. Kurt had seen Blaine shirtless any number of times, even prior to the time they started to date. Kurt had teased Blaine that between his borderline exhibitionism and his penchant for jumping on tables while singing, he seemed destined for a rather shady career path. All that aside, Kurt didn't have the same level of confidence as his boyfriend. Years of bullying had eaten away at his self-esteem – something that he usually combatted by _adding_ layers, not subtracting them. However, he knew that this was one place where layers just wouldn't do. After a quick internal pep-talk about dressing properly for every occasion, he quickly pulled the shirt over his head and placed it on the bench on the pool deck before crossing to where Blaine was standing near the edge of the water.

Upon hearing approaching footsteps, Blaine turned with a smile. The smile quickly faded, his eyes widening slightly and his mouth dropping open. "Whoa," he breathed. Kurt misunderstood and crossed his arms in front of himself, looking down in embarrassment.

"No, no, no, Kurt," Blaine hurriedly said, stepping forward and ducking down to catch Kurt's eye until he raised his head. "Kurt," he said softly, "look at you, you're…"

"I know," Kurt interrupted, sounding hurt, "I know I don't look…" Before he could finish, Blaine placed a finger to his lips to silence him.

"I was going to say, you're gorgeous, Kurt," he finished, taking a moment to look Kurt up and down before catching his gaze once more. Kurt looked stunned as Blaine leaned in and kissed him gently on the cheek. The finger that had been on Kurt's lips had slipped down to the middle of his chest, resting there lightly. Blaine pulled back and flushed a little upon realizing where his hand had landed. With a quick clearing of his throat, he stepped back and turned toward the pool once more. "Come on," he said, his voice a bit huskier than usual. "God, I hope that water's cold," he added to himself. Kurt overheard and hid a laugh behind his hand as he followed Blaine towards the steps to the pool.

Blaine was two steps down, in water just above his knees, when he turned to find Kurt standing at the edge looking white as a sheet. Mentally cursing himself for going too quickly, Blaine went back up one step and stopped.

"So," he said casually, as if standing in water and holding a conversation was the most normal thing in the world, "I heard that Nick stole Wes' gavel and replaced it with a Harry Potter wand."

Kurt stared for a minute and then said, "What?"

Blaine laughed. "You know, one of those wands you get at the toy store…"

"Blaine."

"Yes, Kurt."

"Why are you talking about Harry Potter wands?"

"Just making conversation."

"You're trying to distract me?"

"I'm trying to distract you."

"It's not working."

"I know." Blaine sighed. "I know this is hard for you, Kurt. I give you all the credit in the world for even coming in here. I know that wasn't easy. If you want to stop and try again another time, that's fine. I'd like to see if we can get a little further, though, if you are willing to give it a shot."

The two boys looked at each other for a long moment, frightened blue looking into reassuring hazel. Blaine stretched out his hand towards Kurt and said, "Do you trust me?"

"If you start singing 'A Whole New World' right now, I'm leaving," Kurt quipped. Blaine chuckled, but didn't lower his hand. Kurt hesitated, then stepped to the edge of the first step and reached a shaky hand out to clasp Blaine's and was met with a brilliant smile that helped to melt a little of his nervousness.

"That's right," Blaine said gently, talking the way one would to a wounded animal. He held Kurt's hand tightly and led him down the few stairs into the shallow end of the pool. When they reached the pool floor, he took a few steps more, but stayed close to the wall to keep Kurt feeling safe. "Excellent," he praised.

"You don't have to speak to me like a child," Kurt grumbled.

"I'm not," Blaine argued. "I am being sincere. You're doing really well."

"Sorry."

"No problem," Blaine smiled. "Now, give me your other hand," he asked, referring to the one Kurt was currently using to maintain a death grip on the wall. When Kurt didn't respond, Blaine reached out his free hand to rest it on top of Kurt's. "You can do it," he encouraged. Kurt finally, very slowly, loosened his grip and latched onto Blaine's hand. "I won't," Blaine said.

"You won't what?" Kurt asked, his voice a little shaky.

"Let go."

Kurt gave a small smile, wondering if Blaine could read his mind since he'd been chanting "Don't let go" in his head.

They spent a little time just milling around the shallow end to get Kurt used to the idea of being in the water again. Eventually, after telling Kurt he was going to do so, Blaine backed up a little into slightly deeper water. They could still stand up and keep their heads above water, but it was deep enough for Blaine to take the next step.

"Come closer," he said, tugging Kurt towards him. Kurt obliged, thinking how much he could be enjoying this if he wasn't scared. "Do you remember how to float on your back?" Blaine asked. Kurt nodded almost imperceptibly and stiffened noticeably. "Hey, it's okay," Blaine soothed, wanting to run a hand through Kurt's hair but resisting. "I won't let anything happen to you, and I won't do anything without telling you what we're doing first, okay?" he reassured.

Kurt nodded again, this time a little more surely. "Great," Blaine said. "Actually, before we try the floating, I need to do something." He winked and then quickly dunked his head under water then popped back up, sputtering the excess water from his lips. "Gotta keep the hair wet," he explained. "Can I have one hand back for a moment?" he asked, pulling up his right hand, joined with Kurt's left, and kissing the back of Kurt's hand before pulling it forward and placing it on his shoulder. "You can keep that there," he said before using his now free hand to smooth the hair back out of his face and then taking hold of Kurt's once more. "Can't use any gel in the pool, and the only way it's staying in place is if I keep it wet."

Kurt stared at him incredulously before laughing – a loud, hearty laugh that pleasantly surprised Blaine. "You are so ridiculous and adorable," Kurt said. His boyfriend's antics had actually made him forget his fear for that one moment, and it was like a lightbulb went off in Kurt's head. Instead of feeling anxiety, he started to notice the warmth of the water lapping around him, little waves having been formed when Blaine had dunked beneath the surface. He looked at Blaine, stunning with his wet hair and droplets of water clinging to his thick eyelashes. He relaxed his knees, which had been locked tight, and let himself bob in the water a little bit, reacquainting himself with the sensation of buoyancy, though his feet were still firmly planted on the pool floor.

Blaine, who noticed the small changes, grinned happily. "There you are," he whispered, and Kurt smiled happily back at him.

They spent the next half hour meandering about in the pool, staying in the shallower half of the water, but gradually getting farther away from the wall until they were in the center. Blaine got Kurt to dunk himself under the surface for a second, and eventually did get him to float on his back, with Blaine's strong arms supporting him from underneath, of course. Kurt even let go of one of Blaine's hands to swing his arm through the water a little.

After a while, feeling a bit tired, hungry, and getting pruney, they made their way back to the steps and walked out of the pool together. They walked over to the bench and grabbed their towels to dry off. Blaine was about to say something when Kurt suddenly hugged him tightly. "Thank you," he said quietly into Blaine's shoulder.

Blaine smiled and pressed a quick kiss into the side of Kurt's neck. "You're welcome," he answered in the same quiet tone as Kurt. "I'm so proud of you."

"It's silly, I know," Kurt began, but Blaine shushed him.

"No, it isn't. People are afraid of lots of things, Kurt," he continued, still holding him tightly. "Dogs, heights, public speaking, Santana…" he trailed off, relishing the vibration of Kurt's laughter thorough his body before pulling back to look him in the eye. "You took a step today to conquer a fear, and that's something to be proud of."

Kurt leaned in and kissed him then, threading his fingers through Blaine's wet hair and trying desperately not to think about the fact that their bare chests were pressed together. When they separated, Kurt leaned his forehead against Blaine's and said, "Come, on, I'll buy you breakfast."

xoxoxo

Blaine managed to get them access to the pool three more times that week, wanting to give Kurt as many opportunities as possible to "practice" being in the water before Wes' party. The day of the party dawned bright and sunny, and though Kurt still had some feelings of trepidation – he'd only been in the water with Blaine, after all, and now he had other people to worry about – he resolutely took Blaine's hand and headed off to the Montgomery residence to have fun with the Warblers.

While he begged off of playing any games per se, he did manage to spend some time in the water, both with and without Blaine. Unbeknownst to him, Blaine had quietly advised the other members of the party that Kurt wasn't entirely comfortable being in the water, and had more or less threatened them within an inch of their lives against doing anything like pushing him in the pool, dunking him, or otherwise roughhousing – and no one was to breathe a word of the warning to Kurt, either. To Blaine's great relief, the sometimes less-than-compliant bunch kept their promise.

Late in the afternoon, Blaine flopped down on a lounge chair next to Kurt to dry off. Kurt had, to Blaine's chagrin, donned his shirt once more, and was sipping an iced tea while watching the scene from behind his designer sunglasses.

"So," Blaine began, "you happy you came?"

Kurt turned towards his boyfriend and took his hand. "Yeah," he replied with a bright, honest smile. "I really am."

They sat there quietly for a few minutes before Kurt spoke again. "Thank you for helping me this week, Blaine."

"My pleasure," Blaine answered, leaning over to give Kurt a quick kiss on the cheek.

"You know, it seems you're always helping me find my strength and my courage," Kurt continued. "I thought perhaps I could return the favor."

Blaine's brow furrowed in confusion. "How do you mean?"

"Well, you helped me conquer one of my fears; I figure the least I can do is help you conquer one of yours. You told me that everyone is afraid of something, right?" Kurt smirked before continuing. "Well, I know that you're not afraid of dogs, or heights, or public speaking, so…"

"Kurt," Blaine warned, realizing that Kurt was quoting his list of fears from their talk at the Dalton pool the day of their first session.

"…I set up lunch for the two of us with Santana tomorrow." Blaine's eyes widened in fear at the thought of spending time with the truly frightening Latina. Kurt got up from his lounge chair and cuddled next to Blaine, still holding his hand. "Don't worry," he said reassuringly, all teasing gone from his voice and giving his hand a gentle squeeze, "I won't let go."

 _A/N: Yeah, not quite sure where this came from, except perhaps my own fear of swimming – or, more precisely, drowning._ _I'd give it a shot if I had someone like Blaine to help me, wouldn't you?_


	7. Shade Tree

Shade Tree

 _A/N: Written for the 2016 Klaine Summer Challenge prompt, "Shade Tree or Picnic."_ _I'm late, I know._ _I had trouble with this one._ _I have half a story idea as I start to write this._ _Let's see where it goes, shall we?_

The grounds of Dalton Academy were truly beautiful. Lush green lawns surrounded the majestic building, along with park benches, a pond, and a number of lovely trees.

About a week after Kurt's arrival at Dalton, he found himself with some spare time on his hands between classes. Having spent too much time alone in his dorm room, he decided to go outside for a bit and try to take his mind off of his homesickness. While the environment at Dalton was a thousand times better and safer than McKinley, he still missed his friends and his dad back in Lima.

His footsteps led him to a large oak tree on the back lawn of the school. There was a bench nearby, but for some reason, he decided to sit on the ground at the base of the tree. He leaned his back against the bark and tipped his head up, looking through the branches and leaves at the filtered sunlight shimmering through. He thought about how quickly everything in his life had changed, marveling at the fact that it seemed to be so sudden and a long time coming all at once.

He was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't hear someone approaching or calling his name. It wasn't until the voice got closer that he was startled from his reverie to find one Blaine Anderson happily striding his way.

"Hey, you," Blaine greeted him brightly. "What'cha doing out here all alone?"

"Hi, Blaine," Kurt returned his greeting, hoping he didn't seem overly-excited to see his crush standing before him. "Just thinking," he added.

"Oh, I can just…" he trailed off, gesturing as if to leave.

"No, no," Kurt interrupted. "You can…you could stay, if you want," he said in a small voice.

Blaine smiled happily at the invitation. He slipped his messenger bag from his shoulder and settled down on the ground next to Kurt. Bumping their shoulders together lightly, Blaine quietly asked, "Everything okay?"

"Huh?" Kurt responded, momentarily distracted by the physical contact, as innocent as it was. "Oh, nothing. Nothing, really," he muttered. Blaine gave him a pointed, encouraging look. "Just homesick a little, I guess," Kurt relented.

Blaine hummed thoughtfully. "Well, you've picked a good spot for thinking," he said, looking up at the tree. "I've spent a few hours here myself, just thinking things through." He turned his gaze back to Kurt and gave him a warm smile. Kurt smiled back, hoping that he wasn't blushing as hard as he thought he was. He was saved from coming up with a reply when Blaine continued, "Mind if I sit here and think with you for a little bit?"

Kurt shook his head mutely and Blaine muttered a quiet "Thanks" before settling back a bit and leaning against the tree trunk. Kurt did the same and the boys sat in comfortable silence.

xoxoxo

The snow-covered ground crunched under Kurt's feet as he strode across the Dalton lawn. The February air bit at his cheeks, and he hoped that it wasn't cold enough for the few stray tears on his cheeks to freeze. He chuckled mirthlessly at the silly thought, then dismissed it as he reached the tall oak tree. Walking to the far side so that the solid trunk stood between him and the school, he leaned against it heavily and let out a shuddering breath.

How? How was it possible that just that morning he had finally had some glimmer of hope that Blaine was going to ask him out, and now he was huddled against a tree with a broken heart? Well, perhaps "broken heart" was a bit strong, but still. He had gotten his hopes up and then had them dashed to pieces when Blaine announced that the object of his affections was some guy at The Gap.

To make things worse, he had actually argued on Blaine's behalf for the Warblers to sing to this Gap Guy off campus, so now he was going to have to do backup singing while watching Blaine ask out someone else.

Perfect.

He looked upwards at the tree, all of the leaves long since fallen, giving him a view of the sky through bare crisscrossed branches. He didn't know how long he stood there, just staring at the pale blue sky and thinking. Eventually, he began to shiver as the cold caught up with him. Reluctantly, he pushed himself off of the tree and walked slowly back towards the school.

Just as he opened the door, who should be walking towards him but Blaine himself. "Hey, Kurt!" he called out. "Where have you been? You disappeared after the Warbler meeting."

"Oh. I, um…" he stammered. "I just wanted to get a little fresh air," he finished weakly.

Blaine eyed him with suspicion and looked over his shoulder towards the door, glancing through the window and noticing the fresh footprints in the snow leading toward the big oak tree. He looked sharply back at Kurt for a second. His friend seemed upset, and Blaine knew that the tree was a place Kurt often went to think through his troubles. However, he seemed quite unwilling to talk, and Blaine didn't want to push. Instead, he wrapped an arm around Kurt's shoulders, noticing how cold his jacket felt to the touch. "God, Kurt, you must be freezing," he said, rubbing his hand briskly up and down Kurt's arm while pulling him along the hallway. "Come on, I'll buy you a hot chocolate and we can talk about song choices for The Gap Attack."

Kurt gave him a tight smile and simply answered, "Great," hoping he didn't sound as unenthused as he felt.

xoxoxo

The ground was still cold, but Blaine didn't seem to notice. He'd been sitting under the tree for at least half an hour, staring blankly up at the sky through the branches. Small buds were beginning to appear – a sure sign that an early spring was on the way. Blaine saw them, but didn't really notice because he was completely lost in his own thoughts – about Kurt.

Kurt, his friend. Kurt, the boy whom he had shared countless hours talking to about everything and anything. Kurt, who had just sung _Blackbird_ , baring his heart and soul as he cried over his beloved little Pavarotti.

Kurt – who had captured Blaine's heart.

How had he not seen it earlier? Kurt had indirectly told Blaine of his feelings before, and Blaine had, as kindly as possible, said that he didn't want to be more than friends. But now, all of a sudden, it was as if a blindfold had been removed and he finally was able to see everything clearly. He had cared for Kurt for a long time, but he had just been too afraid to admit it. So, he'd hidden behind friendship, behind an infatuation with an unattainable guy, and behind the excuses he kept to himself about how Kurt wasn't ready and needed to be protected.

The time for hiding was done, he decided. It had taken all of his restraint not to jump up in the Warbler meeting, rush to Kurt, embrace him, and kiss the living daylights out of him. However, that wouldn't do. He needed to do this right. He needed to be honest with Kurt, tell him how he felt, and just pray that he hadn't waited too long and missed his chance.

In the meantime, however, he wanted to spend as much time as possible with the boy. But how? "Come on, tree," he whispered. "Help me think of a way to be near him. Don't let me lose this chance."

A strong breeze blew across the lawn, making Blaine shiver slightly as the branches swayed above him. For a brief second, the wind through the branches made a humming sound that almost sounded like two notes being whistled together. A slow smile spread across Blaine's face. "A duet, you say? Excellent idea."

xoxoxo

"We really should practice, you know," Kurt muttered, giggling as Blaine pulled him close and peppered his cheek with sweet kisses.

"I thought you said we _were_ practicing," Blaine answered, his voice low as he whispered into Kurt's ear before pulling back to kiss his lips once more.

Kurt responded eagerly, allowing himself one more moment of reveling in this most incredible change of fortune before sliding his hands to Blaine's shoulders and gently pushing back to create some space between himself and the other boy. "Seriously, Blaine," he said breathlessly, resting their foreheads together as both smiled widely.

"Ok, spoilsport," Blaine whispered, sneaking one more quick peck before untangling from Kurt's arms and stepping back. He slid his hands down Kurt's arms and took his hands, not willing to let go completely just yet. The two stood smiling at one another, feeling a mixture of happiness and a little embarrassment.

Kurt cleared his throat and glanced over at the table which was covered with Kurt's craft supplies. He'd almost forgotten that he'd been working on Pavarotti's casket before Blaine had arrived. "Besides which," he said, reluctantly letting go of Blaine's hands and walking towards the table, "I have to clean up all of this." He began returning his craft tools and the various beads and jewels to his craft box. Blaine walked over to join him, helping to clear the table as well.

"Have you decided where to bury him?" he asked softly.

Kurt sighed. "No, not yet."

"Hmm." Both boys were quiet for a few moments, then Blaine spoke up. "What about underneath our tree?"

Kurt looked up, his brow slightly furrowed. "We have a tree?"

"Well, I, uh…" Blaine stammered and blushed, which Kurt decided was the cutest thing ever. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Well, I just thought, the big oak tree out back…we both go there to think sometimes, and we've spent a lot of afternoons there talking and laughing. I…I went there after you sang _Blackbird_ , you know – just to sort out my feelings and figure out what to do next." He paused and realized he'd been looking down at the table the whole time. Looking up, he found Kurt's eyes on him, wide and slightly brighter than usual. Nervousness overtaking him, Blaine rambled on, "If you don't like the idea, no worries. I mean, I get that you might not want to have him there, it's just…"

"Blaine," Kurt interrupted, taking his hand and giving him an open smile. "I love that idea. And I love that we have a tree," he continued, pulling Blaine towards him into a hug.

"I figure he was a big part of us getting together, and it'll be nice to know he's someplace that's special to us," Blaine murmured into Kurt's shoulder, happy when Kurt squeezed him a little tighter in approval.

xoxoxo

Blaine was noticeably silent as Kurt drove them up the long driveway towards Dalton Academy. He pulled the car up in front of the building and turned off the engine, and they both just sat there looking through the windshield.

They'd been told that the building was a complete loss. The fire had gutted it and, in fact, some parts of the structure had actually collapsed. It was heartbreaking to see the beautiful building in ruins. But it was more than a beautiful building to the two men in the car. It was the place they'd found refuge from cruelty. It was the place they'd found one another. It was the place Blaine had returned to to find himself once again when his life had fallen apart.

"I can't believe it's all gone," Blaine said, his voice small and hollow. Kurt reached over and took his hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Maybe…" he started hesitatingly. "Come on," he said, unlocking the car and stepping out. He walked around the car and opened Blaine's door, gently pulling him to his feet. He wrapped an arm around his husband's waist and guided him around the building towards the back, hoping that he was right. As they rounded the corner, he couldn't help but smile.

There, standing proudly behind the charred remains of the building, was their oak tree. It was unharmed, its broad branches reaching out and covered in a fresh blanket of leaves, shading the ground below just the same as always. The couple approached slowly, Kurt keeping a strong arm around Blaine. "See? Not everything's gone."

He turned to Blaine, who gave him a watery smile. "Yeah," he choked out. Both men reached out a hand and touched the bark, remembering all of the times they'd spent in the shadow of the great oak. Kurt walked over to one side, crouching down to brush his fingers over the plaque that bore the name of the tiny Warbler mascot buried below. Despite the changes, good and bad, within the Warbler organization, the maintenance of Pavarotti's grave had never been neglected.

Standing again and returning to Blaine, he hugged him from the side, placing a gentle kiss to his temple. They stood there for a few moments in silence, holding one another. Eventually, Blaine pulled back to look upwards through the branches and leaves, Kurt mirroring his actions.

"We could rebuild, you know," Blaine said suddenly.

"Yeah, we could," Kurt agreed, smiling.

"I mean, I know we aren't staying here," Blaine continued, lowering his gaze to look into Kurt's eyes. "We've talked about it and New York is where we belong, and I'm ready for that. But maybe we could, I don't know, organize a committee to raise money – work with the alumni association or something to get things in motion to rebuild?" he asked, sounding hopeful for the first time since they'd gotten the call.

"That sounds like a great idea, honey," he replied. He looked up at the tree again. "We always have great ideas here, don't we?"

"Yeah, we do," Blaine answered, tilting Kurt's head down gently and capturing his lips in a passionate kiss while the branches and green leaves swayed above them in the soft breeze.

 _A/N: Hi there._ _Believe it or not, this was not the original "half a story idea" I had for this prompt when I started writing._ _That one went nowhere, and this one popped into my head as I was driving around last weekend running errands._ _It was a rough week for me, and it took me until Friday night to finish and get his all out._ _I hope you liked it._ _If you did, drop me a line and let me know, okay?_ _Hugs to all._


	8. By the Sea

By the Sea

 _A/N: Hi!_ _*Waves and smiles sheepishly*_ _Sorry, I fell off the wagon on this challenge._ _The muse kind of went on vacation for a while, and I just couldn't get anything written._ _Hopefully, it has returned rejuvenated and ready to go._ _I'm combining the three prompts:_ _biking, boardwalk, and beach._ _This is set the summer after the Klaine wedding, making the assumption that Blaine and Kurt returned to New York, planning to continue their college careers there, along with Rachel and Santana (and Brittany, of course, though Britt isn't in this story)._ _The title is from a very, very old song about being by the seaside._ _Here we go!_

"Blaine, come out," Kurt called for the third time.

"I'm pretty sure I did that a few years ago," Blaine quipped from behind the door.

"That was out of the _closet_ , honey – now I need you to come out of the _bathroom_ ," Kurt replied.

"Do you promise not to laugh?" Blaine asked.

"No. Now come on or you're going to be late!" Kurt insisted.

A heavy sigh was heard from the other side of the bathroom door before the knob turned and the door was slowly opened. "I am going to hate you forever for this," Blaine muttered, stepping out into the room.

Kurt looked his husband over appraisingly, walking towards him and then circling around to get a full view. He wolf-whistled lowly as he came back to face Blaine, who was standing still with his eyes rolled upwards towards the ceiling in irritation. "My, my, Mr. Hummel-Anderson. Aren't you quite the dapper sight?"

"Kurrrrt," Blaine whined.

"Oh, come on," Kurt said laughingly, giving his husband a quick hug and a peck on the cheek.

"I look ridiculous," Blaine complained, looking down at his outfit.

"No, you don't. You look adorable! And what, exactly, did you expect? When they said you would be dressed in character for a Victorian-era day at the beach, were you thinking board shorts and flip flops? This is actually quite accurate, and not badly made," he continued, fingering the fabric lightly.

Yes, Blaine was dressed in a costume that did, in fact, represent the swimwear of a well-dressed man from the 1890's – a striped tunic-style long tank shirt and matching shorts which came almost to his knees. He, Kurt, and Rachel had gotten jobs at a nearby theme park at the shore for the summer to earn some additional money for college. They had various duties throughout the summer, depending on the events being held each weekend. This weekend had an old-time Victorian theme.

"That's the thing, Kurt," Blaine complained. "When Rachel signed me up for this weekend, she didn't tell me the theme or what I'd be doing. She just asked my size said she'd take care of everything."

"Well, you've only got yourself to blame for that one, I'm afraid," Kurt said, shaking his head.

"Oh, shut up," Blaine grumbled. Kurt chuckled again and stepped back, fussing with Blaine's costume to get it to hang just right on him.

"There," he said. "The perfect Victorian gentleman," he smiled warmly. "Now get your cute little butt out there, mister."

Blaine laughed and shook his head. "Fine, fine," he answered, sounding a bit more cheerful. As he walked towards the door of the employee lounge to go meet Rachel, Kurt stopped him.

"Oh, Bla-aine," he sing-songed. Blaine turned and saw Kurt holding out two objects – a straw hat and a ukulele. "You forgot these," he said with a smirk. Blaine groaned as he walked back over to his husband. He popped the hat atop his head and snatched the ukulele from his husband. "Go on. I'll meet you after your shift," he said, giving Blaine one more chaste kiss.

"You're going to hang out for four hours?" Blaine asked.

"Santana's coming to meet me and we're going to check out the boardwalk," Kurt said.

Blaine's eyes widened. "Oh, lord. Satan's coming? You two are just going to make fun of me and Rachel all afternoon, aren't you?"

"What?" Kurt asked with feigned innocence. "How could you think such a thing?" he continued, batting his eyes dramatically.

Blaine groaned again as he turned and headed out the door.

xoxoxo

It was nearing the end of Blaine and Rachel's shift. It had passed more pleasantly that Blaine had anticipated. They were basically window-dressing – just there to add some atmosphere to the weekend, so they didn't have to work all that hard. They mostly strolled along the beach, Blaine lending a gentlemanly arm to Rachel (who was decked out in a vintage costume as well, complete with hat and parasol), occasionally stopping to sing an old song, toss a beach ball around, or take pictures with the tourists.

Kurt and Santana did visit some of the shops and stands along the boardwalk, which ran alongside the beach, and eventually settled on a covered swing for the last hour or so, chatting about various things and watching Blaine and Rachel, of course. Santana couldn't help but cackle loudly when Blaine accidentally beaned Rachel with a beach ball. Kurt got the best laugh of the afternoon when he saw a couple of girls trying to chat up his husband. Blaine gestured to his wedding ring and then turned to point towards Kurt and Santana. The girls looked disappointed as they directed their gazes towards Santana. Disappointment turned to shock when Kurt gave a little wave and pointed to his own wedding ring. Blaine blew a kiss in Kurt's direction, causing Kurt to blush and Santana to make exaggerated gagging noises.

All in all, a pleasant day at the shore.

xoxoxo

Blaine had showered, changed, and was just putting his things back in his employee locker when he found a note. "Meet me outside. Bring the hat." He smiled to himself, recognizing the handwriting immediately. Putting his hat on, he walked out the door which led out onto the boardwalk, immediately laughing out loud at the sight before him.

There, parked right in front of the door, was his charming husband, perched on one seat of a tandem bicycle, wearing his regular clothes but a straw hat to match Blaine's.

"Kurt!" he laughed as he approached. "What in the world…?"

"Well, I thought it was no fair that you got to have all the old-timey fun at the beach today, so I decided to rent a bicycle built for two to take a ride with my very dapper hubby," he said with a grin. "Hi," he added as Blaine leaned over to greet him with a kiss.

"You're the best," Blaine said.

"I know," Kurt retorted lightly. "Now, hop on," he said, pointing to the bicycle seat behind him.

"Hmm, gladly," Blaine drawled.

"What?" Kurt asked, confused by Blaine's tone.

"Oh, nothing," he said, taking his seat and beginning to pedal in time with Kurt. As they rode along the boardwalk, the sun was beginning to set, casting a beautiful glow on the water.

"Wow, what a view!" Kurt exclaimed as they came to a halt for a moment.

"My thoughts exactly," Blaine replied, his voice a little husky.

Kurt glanced back over his shoulder to find Blaine not looking out at the water but straight ahead – at Kurt's backside.

"Blaine!" he chided.

"What? You said it was a great view, and I agreed," he retorted, giving Kurt a sultry glance before tilting his head and returning his gaze to his husband's rear.

"You're impossible, you know that?" Kurt said, slapping Blaine playfully on the shoulder. "That's it. Off the bike."

"No, Kurt," Blaine said hurriedly as each of them dismounted, "don't be like that. Come on. I'll be good, I promise. Let's keep going."

"Oh, we aren't stopping," Kurt replied. Blaine looked confused until Kurt walked around behind him. Giving him a wicked grin, he leaned in and whispered, "We're switching places and riding back. _Slowly_."

 _A/N: Hope you like. Now go have fun – ride a bike or something. Hugs to all!_


	9. Return of the Dream

Return of the Dream

 _A/N: Late again, I know._ _I wasn't able to get on the computer for a while._ _The extra time gave me a chance to come up with something I think you'll like._ _Written for the prompt "Outdoor Concert."_

Blaine sat gingerly on the bench in front of the gorgeous black grand piano. It was a beautiful afternoon, and here he was, center stage in Central Park, part of the park's Summer Stage concert series. It was hard to believe that just a few short years ago, he'd been a college student, hanging out in the park and attending concerts here, wondering what it would be like up on the stage.

As a soft breeze ruffled his slightly untamed curls, he began to tinker with the keys a bit, playing a non-descript melody as he leaned into the mic to introduce the number. "This next song is very special to me," he began, his voice a little more emotional than he expected. "There was a time when I swore I would never play it again. But I had a special request for it from someone – well, from the one person whom I could never deny anything, really, so this one is for him."

Blaine chuckled internally – using the term "special request" was putting it mildly.

xoxoxo

Earlier that day, he had been getting ready to head over to the venue and, as always, had the stereo playing in the background. Suddenly, he ran for the remote, clicking it repeatedly to change the channel.

"Blaine," Kurt chided. Blaine glanced at his husband, but put the remote down and started back towards the bedroom.

"Blaine, wait," Kurt hurried across the room, catching Blaine by the arm before he was halfway down the hall. "Come here," he said, pulling his arm gently and guiding him to the couch in the living room.

"Kurt, I have to get ready," he protested weakly.

"Oh, hush, you look gorgeous already. Now, come sit down." They sat, and Kurt turned so they were facing one another. "This has to stop, you know," he stated simply. He paused, waiting for Blaine to argue, but was met with silence and a downward glance.

"Uh-uh. Look at me, sweetie," he said, reaching over and tilting Blaine's head up with a light touch under his chin. "It's been years, Blaine. Years. You have to let it go."

"I know," Blaine said softly, "but it's just…every time I hear it, I think back to that night and I…I…"

"Hey, hey," Kurt leaned over and hugged him quickly, but then leaned back. He had to get his point across without stopping out of sympathy. "We've been over this before, but I'm going to tell you again, and maybe, just maybe," he ducked his head down to catch Blaine's eye, "you'll listen this time."

xoxoxo

With the finesse of years of experience, he played a segue from the random chords and melody to the introduction of the song. He'd debated which version to perform, but he knew the right answer. It was the more emotional and more difficult option, of course, but there was no other choice, really.

He looked up and quickly found the cerulean eyes he sought. Locking their gaze, he was blown away by the dazzling smile he received. Taking a deep breath and slowing the chords almost to a halt, he began the opening lines.

 _You think I'm pretty without any makeup on  
You think I'm funny when I tell the punchline wrong  
I know you get me so I let my walls come down, down.  
Before I met you, I was all right  
But things were kinda heavy; you brought me to life  
Now every February, you'll be my Valentine, Valentine._

It was the first time he'd played the song since that night at Callbacks – that terrible night when he'd confessed the ultimate betrayal to Kurt. He'd hated the song ever since, deleting it from his iPod and refusing to even listen to it on the radio.

 _Let's go all the way tonight, no regrets, just love  
We can dance until we die, you and I will be young forever  
You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream  
The way you turn me on, I can't sleep  
Let's run away and don't ever look back, don't ever look back.  
My heart stops when you look at me  
Just one touch, now baby I believe  
This is real, let's take a chance and don't ever look back, don't ever look back._

Kurt had noticed Blaine's aversion to the song, and thought it would eventually fade away. He wasn't too eager to hear it again any time soon, either. But after a while, once they'd reconciled and married, he began to think differently of it. He remembered fondly the first time Blaine had sung it with the Warblers – how it had felt then like Blaine was singing just for him.

 _We drove to Cali and got drunk on the beach_

 _Got a motel and built a fort out of sheets_

 _I finally found you, my missing puzzle piece_

 _I'm complete_

Then, of course, there had been that _other_ time Blaine had sung the song. Once again, it was in front of a crowd, but it felt like he was singing just to Kurt. Although the rest of that night was one of the worst Kurt had ever experienced, he still couldn't help but be in awe of the performance Blaine had given. He had poured so much emotion into it – he had really bared his soul in a way that was powerful and beautiful. It was stunning. Painful, but stunning.

 _Let's go all the way tonight, no regrets, just love_

 _We can dance until we die, you and I will be young forever_

 _You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream_

 _The way you turn me on, I can't sleep_

 _Let's run away and don't ever look back, don't ever look back._

 _My heart stops when you look at me_

 _Just one touch, now baby I believe_

 _This is real, let's take a chance and don't ever look back, don't ever look back._

 _I'mma get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans_

 _Be your teenage dream tonight_

 _Let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans_

 _Be your teenage dream tonight._

Blaine kept his eyes on Kurt as he brought the song to a close. As the final chord faded, he heard a single pair of hands clapping appreciatively. Kurt rose from the otherwise empty seating area and quickly ascended the steps to the stage. He ran across to Blaine, who stood from the bench just in time to catch his husband in his arms in a tight embrace.

"See," Kurt whispered, a slight catch in his voice, "Incredible, just like always." They held tightly to one another for a few more minutes, swaying slightly on the stage.

Giving one final squeeze, Blaine finally pulled back, but kept his arms loosely wrapped around Kurt's waist. "We should probably get going," he said quietly, nuzzling a kiss onto Kurt's cheek. "The crew will want to do a final check before they start letting people in."

"Okay," Kurt answered breathily. With a final brief kiss, they disentangled themselves, but before Kurt could take a step, Blaine caught him by the hand.

"Kurt? Are you…are you sure?" he asked in trepidation.

Kurt took both of Blaine's hands in his and held them tightly. "I don't think about the bad things when I hear it anymore – I mean, I remember, but what I feel is your passion, your emotion, and how you poured your heart out with every note." Kurt took one hand and caressed Blaine's cheek gently. "But you, you have attached all these bad memories to that song, and it's so sad, really. That was the first song you ever sang to me, and even when you sang it that night at Callbacks, you made me feel like I was the only person in the room. I miss that."

Blaine smiled sadly and turned his face to kiss Kurt's palm. "Kurt," he whispered.

Undaunted, Kurt moved his hands to Blaine's shoulders and looked him in the eye. "So, mister," he said encouragingly, "you are going to go out there tonight, play that song for me – for _us_ , and exorcise these demons once and for all." He leaned in and surprised Blaine with one more long, slow, heart-stopping kiss. "Come on," he murmured against his lips, "give me back my Teenage Dream."

xoxoxo

As the final notes sounded, the full-capacity crowd flew to their feet, cheering wildly under a starlit summer sky. Blaine smiled and stood, taking a bow. The crowd was amazing, and they had been so excited when he announced that he was going to do a song he'd never done in concert before. There had been no time to practice with his backup band, so he'd done it as a slow solo piano piece, just as he had done that afternoon.

He looked off to the side of the stage where, just out of sight of most of the crowd, he found the one face he needed to see the most. Kurt was clapping proudly, stopping only once to wipe a stray tear away. Blaine placed his hand over his heart, smiling fondly as Kurt returned the gesture. He silently mouthed a "thank you" to Kurt, who nodded in acknowledgement.

Blaine played the song once more that night, this time on the upright piano in their New York apartment. Well, he played part of it, anyway – his audience of one took his suggestion of "let's go all the way tonight" quite literally and Blaine soon found himself too occupied with other things to finish the song…

 _A/N: Hey there!_ _Well, one more prompt to go for this challenge._ _Not sure what to write for that one, but I'll try my best to come up with something good._ _Drop me a review if you're still out there…_


	10. Camp Dalton

Camp Dalton

 _Here we are at the last prompt of the challenge – Camping. I know I haven't kept up with the challenge deadlines exactly, but I'm gonna drag myself across the finish line here._ _Thanks for sticking with me!_

"…and sometimes, late at night," Blaine said, his voice low and eerie, "you can still hear him – thump, thump, thump – as the ghost of Old Wesley Warbler wanders the halls of Dalton, waiting to hear the pounding of his lost gavel in reply…" He trailed off the last syllable into what was meant to be a spooky wail, but which came out sounding more like a weird vocal warmup exercise.

Kurt was trying in vain to hold back his laughter at Blaine's antics. After one more over-exaggerated spooky laugh, Blaine clicked off the flashlight he had been holding under his chin and clicked on the battery-powered camp lantern next to him. Grabbing a pad of paper and pen that was sitting beside him, he looked at it thoughtfully. "Ok, let's see. Ghost story, check. S'mores, check. Ooh, it's time for a campfire song!"

"Really, Blaine?" Kurt asked, attempting to sound peeved but failing by giggling as well.

"Kurrrrt," Blaine whined. You can't properly camp without singing around the campfire. It's tradition, and you wouldn't want to break tradition, would you?"

"Ooh, I don't think so, Blaine," Kurt answered, affecting a frightened tone, "or Old Wesley Warbler might come after me and gavel me to death!"

"That's right," Blaine stated matter-of-factly, then winked. "So, sing-along?" he continued, grabbing his guitar and beginning to strum.

After a couple of old-fashioned camp songs (and, yes, one Katy and one Gaga song for each of them), Blaine set aside his guitar and stretched his arms over his head with a yawn. "Well, I think it's time we turn in for the night," he said, reaching over for his sleeping bag. Kurt was about to object – it wasn't _that_ late, after all - but he suddenly found himself yawning, too.

Within minutes, the boys were side by side in their sleeping bags, gazing up at the tiny twinkling lights overhead. After several minutes of silence, Blaine thought perhaps Kurt had fallen asleep. He closed his own eyes, but then heard a quiet voice beside him.

"Blaine?"

"Yes, Kurt," he answered, turning his head to the side. He found himself admiring Kurt's profile in the dim light as the boy continued to look upwards.

"This is nice," he finally said with a small smile, tilting his head to look over at Blaine. Blaine smiled back and reached his hand out, palm up. Kurt took it without hesitation and squeezed gently before allowing their joined hands to rest between them.

"I'm glad. I knew you'd like it if you gave it a chance."

Kurt smiled again in reply, but said nothing. Instead, he simply turned his head back to look up and sighed contentedly. Blaine did the same, but they kept their hands joined, fingers intertwined lightly.

After a few more minutes of silence, Blaine whispered, "Good night, Kurt."

"Good night, Blaine," Kurt whispered back, before both boys drifted to sleep.

xoxoxo

Thump, thump, thump.

Kurt stirred at the sound, lifting his head with a sharp intake of breath as he tried to register the sound which had awoken him from his sleep. He could see the first streaks of daylight beginning to appear in the sky as he tried to clear his head and figure out what he'd just heard. Then the sound came again.

Thump, thump, thump.

A chill ran though him as he looked over to Blaine in a panic. Sometime in the middle of the night, they had let go of one another's hands, and Blaine was now lying face down, his head turned away from Kurt so that all that was visible was a mass of dark curls which had broken free of the gel in his sleep.

Thump, thump, thump.

This time, the pounding was insistent and loud, and before Kurt's sleep-addled mind could process it correctly, he lunged over at Blaine and began shaking his shoulders to wake him up.

"Blaine!" he whisper-yelled. "Blaine! Wake up! It's the ghost of Old Wesley Warbler, omigod, Blaine!"

With a confused grunt, Blaine lifted his head and took a second to register where he was. "Wha…" he mumbled, his voice still heavy with sleep. If Kurt hadn't been so scared, he would have enjoyed watching sleepy Blaine as he awoke. However, any such opportunity ended when suddenly a voice rang out, seemingly blocked by some kind of barrier.

"Kurt!" the voice called.

"Blaine! He knows my name – he's coming for me!" Kurt whispered insistently, now completely out of his sleeping bag and half on top of Blaine.

Thump, thump, thump. "Kurt!"

Blaine sat up as best as he could with the weight of Kurt clinging to him. Rubbing his eye with the heel of his hand, he found his voice and began to chuckle as he realized what was going on.

"How can you laugh at time like this?" Kurt said, still talking quietly in the dim light of morning.

Blaine wrapped an arm around his boyfriend and kissed him gently on the temple. "You're adorable, you know that?" he said affectionately, squeezing him tightly. "Come in," he then called out over Kurt's head.

Kurt blinked owlishly as he finally woke up enough to realize where he was and what was going on. He groaned in embarrassment and buried his face in Blaine's shoulder.

The door to Kurt's dorm room opened and Wes poked his head in, a hand covering his eyes. "You two decent?" he quipped before peeking out from between his fingers. He then dropped his hand and stepped into the room to take in the sight before him.

All of the furniture in the dorm room had been pushed aside to create an open space in the center of the room. Two sleeping bags were spread out next to one another, and a small electric camp lantern was off to one side. Several strings of tiny twinkle lights were draped across the ceiling. The pre-dawn sky was visible through the window above Kurt's bed.

"Um, guys? What are you doing?" Wes asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Kurt kept his face buried as Blaine answered their friend and fellow Warbler. "We're camping, Wesley. What does it look like?" he said with confidence.

Wes looked up at the twinkle lights, then back down at the boys. He opened his mouth, then seemed to reconsider before closing it again. With a quick shake of his head, he seemed to dismiss any thought of pursuing that line of questioning any further. "Bus leaves in two hours," he said before turning and walking out the door, closing it quietly behind him.

As soon as the door was shut, Blaine snorted out a laugh, grabbing a hold of Kurt and tumbling back down to the floor, turning so that he and Kurt were facing one another.

"Morning, Kurt," he chuckled.

"Blaaaaine," Kurt whimpered, "how can you laugh at that? That's so embarrassing!" Kurt pulled back to playfully slap Blaine on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, Kurt. It's fine," Blaine reassured with a kiss to the tip of Kurt's nose. Kurt giggled and decided to take advantage of their current position to snuggle for a few minutes before they had to really get up.

"Thank you," he said, his voice slightly muffled as he was cuddled into Blaine's shoulder.

"For what?" Blaine asked.

"For last night. For 'practicing' camping with me." Kurt said shyly.

"Well, you've never been before, and when you said you were nervous about not knowing what to expect, I thought it might be good if we did a little trial run. Did it help?" he asked, rubbing a hand lightly up and down Kurt's back.

"Mmm-hmm," came the reply as Kurt relaxed in Blaine's arms, being lulled back to sleep by the soothing motion of Blaine's hand on his back.

"Good," Blaine whispered softly, "I'm glad." He indulged himself in holding Kurt for a few minutes longer before giving him a final squeeze and then a couple of quick pats on the shoulder. "Now come on, up with you," he said, sitting up despite Kurt's whine of disapproval. "We've got to get ready and meet the guys at the bus so we can start the trip to the campground. Warbler Camping Trip, here we come!" he exclaimed.

Kurt tensed a little, a bit of his anxiety returning. Blaine noticed and rose, pulling Kurt to his feet beside him. "It'll be fine, Kurt," he said encouragingly, holding Kurt's hands in his own. "And you'll be with me the whole time, so there's no need to worry." Blaine gave him one of his signature brilliant smiles, instantly putting Kurt at ease.

Kurt responded with a swift kiss to Blaine's cheek before the two wordlessly began getting ready and gathering their things. Blaine had brought everything he would need to Kurt's room the night before so that they could just leave from there after their pre-camp camp night.

Once they were all set with their backpacks and sleeping bags, Blaine went to the door. Turning towards Kurt, he held out his hand invitingly. "You ready for this?" he asked.

Kurt stepped forward and took his hand with a smile. "With you? Always," came Kurt's sincere response. He knew that no matter what came their way, as long as they were together, Kurt would be ready for anything.

 _A/N: There you go, kids._ _Klaine Summer Challenge?_ _Check._


End file.
